Railway-tie and fastener.



C. A. RIGGS.

RAILWAY TIE AND FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-30; 1915- I 1,171,653. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

I/l/III 16 c. H. R1665 UNITED STATES PATENT orrion;

CHESTER A. RIGGS, or BANNER, KANSAS, Assrcnonor ONE-HALF-TO' WILLIAM A. mess, on BANNER, KANSAS; Y

RAILWAY-TIE AND FASTENER.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application filed August so, 1915. Serial No. 48,029; g

tion'of device of this kind wherein the parts are so arranged that they may be very easily manufactured and readily assembled to fasten'the rails in place, as well as easily removed, when desired. 1

A. further object of the invention is an improved rail fastener which may be easily inserted in place and which will automati cally lock itself in position after being in-- serted in the opening formed for it in the tie and the invention also aims to generally improve devices of this classso' as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

Niththese and other objects in view, as will be more fully understood as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 isa longitudinal sectional view of a railway tie and rail fastener embodying the improvements of my invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the tie; Fig. 3 is an end view of the tie; Fig. 4: is a detail view of one of the rail locking devices, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the tie, showing how' a wrench is applied in the operation of removing the rail fastening devices. 7

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in thefollowing description and designated in all of the views of the accompanying drawing, by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates my improved tie which is preferably hollow, as shown and constructed of steel, whereby it will combine strength with lightness toa marked-degree, saidtie being formed-with a plurality of openings 2 eX- tending therethrough and arranged in two I pairs, one: pair near each endof the tie in the required position, whereby the openings Wlll he on opposite sidesof the track rails in a convenient manner. The openings 2 may be of any desired size and shape and are preferably rectangular and they open at their lower ends in enlarged counter-sinks 3, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. r

l designates the rail locking or fastening devices. Each of-these comprises a shank 5 which is preferably rectangular and of a size to snugly fit in{ one of the openings 2, and a head 6 which is fiat or rounded at the top, whereby' it may'beeasily. driven intov place and which is formed with the usual lug to engage the base flange of the rail. The shanko is formed near .its lower end with an opening 7 extending therethrough from back to front andabove each end of this opening and registering therewith, a"

recess 8 is formed. Each fastening device 18 provided with a locking spring'9. These springs are received andheld inthe opena ings 7 being first inserted therethrough in a flat or-straight condition and the ends being subsequently turned up while hot, whereby said ends will tend to spring out and project from the front and rear faces of the shank- 5,

as'clearly illustrated in the drawings. As is obvious, when the shanks 4: are inserted into the openings 2, the locking ends 10 of the springs 9 will be accommodated in the recesses 8 hereinbefore referred to, and when the fastening devices are driven down to a certain point, it is manifest that the ends 10 will spring out into the counter-sinks 3 and thus lock the fastening devices in place, whereby the rails will be very securely and rigidly held in position. By providing the counter-sinks 3, the locking ends 10 of the springs are preventedfrom spreading out too far which, of course, would defeat the purpose forwhichthey are designed.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the correlated views of.the ac. companyingdrawing, the operation of applying my lmproved fastening devices to the tie to hold the rails in position, will be apparent. To remove the fastening devices, I preferably employ a wrench designated'll, as a whole. This wrench is in the form of a bar, which is preferably of somewhat angular formation, as shown,

having a handle portion l2'at one end and at its other extremity being provided with a cup 13 which is designed to be pressed upwardly upon the shanks and against the springs 9 so as to compress their protruding ends 10, whereupon as is obvious, the

fastening devices may be withdrawn and.

the ties released. Co-acting with the bar of the wrenchll and forming part of theengaged with the edge thereof at the top,

whereupon by pressing. down upon the=handle 12, it is evident that the cup 13-may be made to engage the projecting ends 10 of 'the adjoining spring 9 and said ends retracted. so that the fastening devices may be easily taken out.

7 \Vhile theaccompanying drawing illustrates what'I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is ,not limited. thereto, but a that various changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangements and proportions of the parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Copies Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with. a railway tie hav-ingan opening formed therein, of a rail fa'steningde'vice insertible in said opening,

and a spring carried by said fastening device'and adapted to automatically spring out into engagement with the tiebelow the openingupon the insertion of device into the opening.-

2. The combination with a railway tie of a rail fastener therefor the tie being formed with openings extending therethrmighv and with counter-sinks at-the. lower ends of thehaving openings extendingtherethnough and terminating at; their lowerends. in

counter-sinks,of rail fastening devices, said fastening devices including shanks insertibie in said openings and having openings ing therethrough, communicating with the ends of said 1open+ ings, and springs extending through said openings and having upwardly projecting ends adapted :to be accommodated in said recesses, and to springout into the counter-' sinks upon the insertion of the fastening devices into-the opening. 7

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence; of two witnesses, CHESTER A. RIGGS Witnesses:

JAMES Hawxns, R. J. TAGUE.

of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Pat-ente Washington, D. 0.

the fastening;

passand recesses above and The combination with a railway tie 

